Meet the Supremes (Expanded Edition)

Meet the Supremes, the debut album from what would become the biggest female group in recorded music, is now a new, limited edition 2xCD set from Hip-O Select. Meet the Supremes (Expanded Edition) features a newly re-mastered version of the Supremes' debut album, first issued by Motown in 1962, along with rare tracks from their first recording sessions, previously unreleased live shows and much more, including: the original mono version of Meet the Supremes (on CD for the first time); the stereo mix of the album (on CD for the first time in more than twenty years); a never-before-released live show recorded at the Apollo Theater in 1962 - the earliest known Supremes live recording; a second unreleased live show, a "Battle of the Stars" from Detroit's Graystone Ballroom in 1964; sixteen additional studio tracks from their initial recording sessions, all in previously unreleased mixes, many in stereo for the first time. It's now fifty years since Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard and Barbara Martin, calling themselves the Primettes, nervously auditioned for Berry Gordy at Motown. After months of hanging around they were signed a few months before high school graduation in 1961, and re-named "The Supremes." Meet the Supremes (Expanded Edition) tells the story of those early years, as the group evolved from a quartet to a trio. The set is presented in a collector's digi-pak with both the 1962 and 1965 reissue covers; the 20-page booklet includes rare, early photos, an essay by Supremes historian George Solomon, a timeline outlining the group's beginnings, detailed annotations and recording dates, and another historic first: the first-ever interview with fourth Supreme Barbara Martin, conducted by original Supreme Mary Wilson. Before their extraordinary run of No. 1 hits, Meet the Supremes introduced Diana, Mary and Flo to the world. This new 2-CD set brings back the newness of that moment and offers a glimpse of what was to come.